Stator replacement observations

[dewd]

Hello.  I recently purchased a used 2002 955i that seems to have all the common characteristics spoken of on this forum.  I wanted to post what I have observed and done about my stator replacement.  It was disclosed to me before I purchased the bike that it had a charging problem. I hoped the Sasquatch fix would eliminate the problem (as it has on other bikes I have owned) and it did not, volt meter still a count down clock.  I determined that one leg of the stator was weak. Time to replace.
Going to the aftermarket for parts and after doing research here, (Thanks very much guys), I decided to go with Rick's Motorsports stator and R/R because I think it is a good idea to replace both at the same time also. After I ordered the items from Rick's, I realized that Custom Rewind is within an hours driving distance from me, and gave them a call. Gary, the owner, was helpful over the phone and explained to me that he would rewind my current stator if I brought it (or mailed it) to him. He let me come by his shop and drop it off.  Kurt greeted me there, and showed me around and gained my trust quickly. These guys ship their product all over the world, and everyone I spoke with knew their craft.  Kurt and Gary both had had experience with the Triumph Daytona 955i engines and wondered about why there is oil inside the stator cover. (Good question and possible solution to this entire problem.)  There are some distinct differences with both Custom Rewind and Rick's Motorsports in terms of product, service, and warranty, It's hard for me to say one is superior to the other, and understand I'm not putting anyone down, but here's what I saw and chose to do:

The one on the left is a brand new item from Rick's Motorsport. The one on the right is the rewound original Triumph core done at Custom Rewind.  Kurt at Custom Rewind has come up with a way to combat the oil contact with the stator.  That green coating is a marine grade ceramic coating that they used in heavy duty applications.  It has entirely coated the wiring.


Notice the thickness of Rick's compared to the original Triumph. I have no idea if this makes any difference on performance.  Also the ends seem as if they were cleaned to remove overrun on Custom Rewind's. The next photos show the back sides of each with regards to wire enclosure.


Rick's cost $140 shipping included and one year warranty(great policy for electrical parts)
Custom Rewind costs $85 shipping included but explicitly without warranty.  Gary says he may modify this policy in the future, but has so few calls for this and has little feedback on longevity. I decided to take on this cause.  
I went with Custom Rewinds stator and Rick's R/R.  (Custom Rewind only does rewinds, period.) Time will tell the longevity of things, but so far in about 400 miles with the Sasquatch mod, my volt meter constantly bounces between 14.8 and 14.9. :lol:

[Stretch]

Thanks for the heads-up.  I still have my old Triumph stator around here somewhere.  Money talks.

[Tom Herold]

Very interestting input here, I appreciate the photo comparisons and personal thoughts.

Since I'm replacing my new inoperative stator and rotor with less than 6k miles on them, I'm interested in getting my old original stator rewound as a spare since I now have no faith in my Tiger's charging system anymore.

The oil in the stator area puzzled me too, it wasn't a lot, but there was enough there to make me curious about its effects on the stator itself. I made sure to replace the oil seal when I did the stator swap out the last time and will be interested to see what it looks like when I peel it open again. A high temp and chemical resistent coating is very enticing, the workmanship looks top-notch and the price isn't bad either.

I'll be contacting Custom Rewind shortly to discuss my options.

** Update **

I spoke with the gentleman at Custom Rewind and found him to be very straight forward and helpful.  It's interesting to hear his insight into our stator and R/R problems which he and his business partner attribute directly to the oil seepage into the stator area.

In his professional opinion, the heat and oil are attacking the stator and causing it to go bad. He went on to state it's poor design and the reason he won't put a warranty on Triumph or Excelsior stators.

The heavy green coating he put on dewd's stator is experimental and an effort to combat the oil issue. He doesn't have any feedback from the customers as to it's effectiveness yet and is waiting to see how things go.  

He went on to explain the Ricks stators were probably wound by Custom Rewind and appreciates that Rick's warrantys the parts.

I saved my stock stator from the last failure and I'm going to be sending it off to Custom Rewind, with a request for the heavy green coating. When (note I said when, not if...) the new stator fails, I'll have the fresh one on-hand and ready to go.

Dewd; please keep us updated on how your charging system's operating and think about providing feedback to Custom Rewind on the quality of their work and if any issue arise.  Thanks!

[dewd]

Thanks Tom

I called Gary and let him know I was pleased so far with voltage output, and felt the coating was confidence inspiring.  I think I will put a few hundred more miles on and remove the cover to check new oil amount, and visually inspect the coating.  I'll keep you posted.

Also, I was able to drop mine off on a Friday at noon, and UPS brought it back to me the following Tuesday afternoon.  I liked that too!!

[Tom Herold]

My original stator's headed out next week with a projected 3 to 5 day turn-around time.  

Thanks and keep us updated!

[Stretch]

Any updates, Tom?  Dewd?

I'll be sending my old Triumph stator out soon to Custom Rewind for a rewinding and ceramic coating.  The theory of the engine oil attacking the stator wiring's thin insulation sounds plausible, so if they have a process that will permanently keep oil off the wire, it sounds like a good plan.

[Tom Herold]

So far things are good! I have about 4k miles on it and no issues at all. When I swapped the Ricks stator out, the coating had turned transparent again and drained out about 1/2 cup of oil though I'd changed the oil seals inside the cover.

Still running 14.5 without accessories on and battery's staying charged. I'm at 31k on the bike now (bought it with 18k less than a year ago), and feel things are pretty solid now. When I get to my 36k maintenance, i'm going to pull the stator cover off and take a look around. I'll give another update then on my findings.

[Stretch]

Sweet.  Thanks.